Full Circle

I love it when things come full circle. For example, our church's mission conference is this week, and there is a missionary family with us whom we last saw at the conference back in 2006. They have an adopted daughter from China. In '06, their daughter, Lauren, was only 3 or 4 years old. At that time, Danny and I knew we wanted to adopt internationally and, though I was sold on adopting from China, Danny wasn't quite sure. We fell in love with little Lauren who was a total firecracker ... adorable and brilliant and witty. It was the first time, I think, Danny had really been around a child adopted from China and he was hooked. We started the process to adopt from China a year later.

We haven't seen that family since ... they are missionaries in Africa. But they are back at our missions conference this year. Lauren is now 8 years old, and here we are with our own little child of China! Lia Kate lights up whenever she sees Lauren. I think she loves seeing familiar faces. It is a sweet thing to see these two girls together ...

Full circle. I love it when that happens.